On Saturday, Ryan was continuing to finish up the dock and I was reading after our Childbirth Preparation Class. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and of course flooded with the GA heat. Lyla loves the pond and entertains herself for hours on end. You'd think she would just relax after an hour or so, but she was made to swim. 

She was pouncing around the edge of the pond keeping us entertained and then got super quiet. I looked up and made the comment, "I have no idea how we keep finding ticks on Lyla" because she was crouched down low. When I called out her name and asked her why she was being silly, she popped her head up and peeked out of the tall grass at us. I didn't think much about it because she likes to "sneak up" on frogs or fish, so we figured that's what she was being dramatic over. 

Then, she cautiously walked over to an open part of the neighboring field and just stood there. She started acting like she was hacking up her lungs, and that's when I got scared. When I called she wouldn't respond, and we couldn't see her because she had completely laid down in the field. I got Ryan's attention and started towards her. Every time I called her name there was no response. When we got to her she looked pitiful. I held back the tears, but panic came through my voice and Ryan took over. He had her stand up and walk back to his 4 Runner. We loaded her up, and I called the vet's emergency line. He agreed to meet us in 15 minutes, so away we flew. 

Lyla's breathing was fast and she was sprawled across the back seat. If we talked to her she continued this behavior. When Ryan spoke to her, she'd look up with her puppy eyes. Ugh...dagger to the heart. Feeling helpless, I climbed in the backseat and wrapped her wet body up in a towel. We thought it could be a snake bite, but had no idea what the signs were for that. (Now we know!)

Of course we got caught behind every slow vehicle on the road, but arrived at the very same time as the vet. Lyla climbed out and was a bit out of it trying to figure out where she was, what to do, and who to follow. She made it in the office, had her temperature checked, got blood drawn, and sat on her towel. We could tell she felt a bit better the way she was sniffing around, so what was wrong with her? 

The doctor said her blood work was fine, temperature was a bit high, and came to the conclusion that she had Heat Exhaustion. Thank GOD! She didn't get to the point of having a stroke, but came as close as I ever want to see again. We paid the bill, got back in the car for the ride home, and were so relieved. She was going to be ok. I couldn't bare to lose her. She's our first baby and has to be around for Vann and teach him the ropes when he arrives like only a big sister can. 

So, no more hours on end at the pond when it's that hot! We all learned our lesson. After some TLC and a relaxing night, Sunday was a much better day.

Take care of your 4-legged friends this summer. It's a scorcher!